


I came in for the kittens and left with a boyfriend

by elletromil



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Alternative Universe - Civilians, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6169051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Harry is a tailor, Mr Pickle is still alive and kicking, Eggsy works in a pet shop and Daisy is as adorable as a small animals. Also contains kittens, ice cream and mutual pining with a happy resolution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pet Shop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mockingjaybee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mockingjaybee/gifts).



> So I wrote this for the amazing Jaybee my long distance cuddle buddy because I wanted to cheer her up and just love her. It was supposed to be only one part, the first chapter, but I couldn't stay away from this verse, so you get something that I feel is a bit more complete.
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

When Harry had gotten Mr. Pickle, there had been three main reasons why he had chosen _Royal Animal_ as the place to buy everything his canine companion would need. First there was the name, because while Mr. Pickle was probably the least regal terrier in the whole of England, Harry still felt like he was wrapped around his little paws after all these years. The second reason was simply because the pet shop was halfway between his home and Kingsman, where he worked as a tailor, which meant he needn’t make unnecessary detours when he needed to pick up food. The third and final reason had been that _Royal Animal_ wasn’t only a pet’s accessory shop, but had actual living animals waiting to be adopted by people.

Harry felt no guilt nor shame about making a quick round of the shop each time and gush over the sleeping kittens and playful puppies. It wasn’t like he was the only one in any case.

So that had been the three reasons and he had never thought one would add itself to the list, right until a few months ago when a new clerk had been hired.

Gary “please-call-me-Eggsy” Unwin was a stunning, happy and polite young man and Harry, who had always prided himself in being a down to earth gentleman, had wondered for a moment if magic could in fact exist because he was sure he had just been bewitched. Never had he felt such an attraction for someone he barely knew before, but Eggsy was simply irresistible.

Of course, no matter how he felt about the young man, and no matter how much Eggsy seemed to be flirting back, Harry had never outright asked him out. It was something to flirt with a customer and another to fancy them enough for a date, and the last thing Harry wanted was to put the young man in an awkward position.

But, if Harry came in the pet shop more often than had been his habit before, well no one needed to know.

***

Harry had been making his way to the back of the shop, intent on looking at the new litter of kittens Eggsy had told him about, when he saw a little girl that had been climbing on some shelves lose her grip. He was just fast enough to catch her before she could fall and hurt herself, lowering her safely on the ground.

“Are you alright?” The little girl stared at him with wide eyes not seeming to understand what fate she had just escaped. “You really shouldn’t be climbing these shelves, you could have hurt yourself!”

He tried to keep a severe expression, but the effect was a bit lost when the girl began pouting, a combination of puppy eyes and moue that was simply the most adorable expression Harry had ever witnessed on a human being.

“But I wanna see the kitties!”

She waved had the glass in front of them and Harry made a sound of understanding. The display area for the animals were divided in such a way that some animals where situated on top of the others. While anyone over 4 feet would have no trouble seeing the animals at the top, a kid wouldn’t have a hard time without the help of an adult.

Harry looked around, hoping to locate her parents, but except for the customer being helped by Eggsy in another alley who seemed far too young to have a daughter, there was no one in the shop.

“You still shouldn’t have, it’s very dangerous. Where are your parents?”

“At home! I’m here with my brother!” Harry frowned at her answer because while he did try to keep an open mind, he was pretty sure the only other customer besides him was a woman. Then he vaguely remembered Eggsy mentioning a younger sibling to him a few weeks ago.

“Is your brother Eggsy?” The little girl nodded with enthusiasm and Harry couldn’t fight against his smile any more. “We should go back to him, I am pretty sure he doesn’t want you wandering around.”

“Can’t we look at the kitties first? Please Mister! I won’t climb on shelves anymore, but I wanna see them!”

At such a pleading, Harry added small children to the list of beings he could not resist before raising her up so she was leaning against his hips and in a better position to look at the kittens.

The little girl made gleeful sounds of delight and Harry had to admit he also made some awed sound of his own when two of the kittens woke up just enough to start licking each other.

He had not planned to stay there for long, but he had clearly underestimated the powers of baby animals and little human combined, because the next thing he knew, someone was clearing his throat behind them pointedly.

He turned around quickly, half a curse forming on his lips when he saw Eggsy standing not far from them, arms crossed, but he relaxed at once when he notices the amusement in the young man’s eyes.

“Having fun?” It was very obvious he was talking to the little girl and she started squirming in his arms with guilt. “I remember clearly telling you to stay behind the counter Daisy.”

He hold out his hands so that he could take her out of Harry’s arms, losing his stern expression for a second when only Harry could see him, offering the most beautiful grateful smile the tailor had ever seen. But once Daisy was settled in her brother’s hold and could look at his face again, his expression was back to serious and disappointed.

“I know you want to look at the animals Daisy, but when I tell you something, you gotta listen to me okay? You’re lucky Harry is the one who found you.”

“I’m sorry Eggsy,” she seemed to be genuinely regretting her actions, her eyes filling with tears. “Does that mean no ice cream?”

He nodded and she pouted, but didn’t try to protest. Eggsy was about to say something else when other customers entered the shop, making him frown in displeasure.

“I have to go back to work until Roxy is back Daisy, will you listen to me now?”

She didn’t looked happy about it, but nodded after one last longing look at the animals, the look prompting Harry to make a swift decision.

“If your colleague is supposed to be back in the next fifteen minutes, I could keep an eye on little Miss Daisy if you want? We’ll just stay there and look at the animals together.”

Eggsy gasped, unprepared for such an offer, but while he was mostly immune to his sister’s puppy-eyed look, he found out it was impossible to resist when it was combined with Harry’s.

“You sure about that mate?”

“It would be my pleasure,” he nodded, stepping closer to take back the little girl in his arms.

“Alright then, be nice Daisy, okay, you listen to him like you listen to me,” he told her firmly, before ruffling her hair with affection. Then, before he turned to leave for the other customers, he stepped onto his tiptoes to press a light kiss against Harry’s cheek. “Thank you again.”

Harry looked at him go, dumbstruck, but not enough to miss the blush on the young man’s cheeks. He would have stayed in this position for a long time, if not for the little girl in his arms demanding to go look at the kittens again shaking him out of his surprise.


	2. To the dog park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggsy and Daisy meet with Harry to go walk Mr. Pickle in the park

Eggsy knocked on the front door, trying not to hold Daisy’s hand too tight in his nervousness.

Fortunately, his sister was oblivious to anything that wasn’t the prospect of going to the dog park with Mr. Harry’s dog.

Eggsy still felt a bit bewildered at the invitation, still unsure how his awkward shuffling in front of Harry the previous day when he had gone to get Daisy back once Roxy had been back from her break had lead to the siblings being invited to an outing in Harry and Mr. Pickle’s company.

Or rather, he knew how, because Harry had obviously made the mistake of mentioning Mr. Pickle to Daisy while he had been looking after her and his sister had always _dreamed_ of owning a dog herself, so of course Harry had done the polite thing and invite them to take a walk with Mr. Pickle that evening.

Eggsy had been speechless, because after the kiss he had dared pressed against his cheek, he had been sure Harry wouldn’t want to look at him ever again, but the older man had looked nothing but genuine, his smile warm and his eyes fond.

He had been so torn apart having to refuse, because that would have been too much like a reward for Daisy and she needed to understand that not listening to her big brother would lead to consequence she wouldn’t like.

Harry had nodded in understanding, Eggsy had grieved his missed opportunity for a few seconds right until Harry had suggested that they go to the dog park together the following day instead.

That, Eggsy had accepted, but not before Daisy had pinky-promised him to be on her best behaviour.

However, now that he was standing before Harry’s house, he was hit by nerves. It had been easy to see the man had some money, but the neighborhood he lived in only confirmed it and really what the hell was Eggsy thinking?

That Harry fancied him as much as Eggsy fancied him? Of course Eggsy knew that he was attractive, but he wasn’t that interesting. With a gentleman like Harry, who had beauty and charm to spare, Eggsy would only be enough for a few tumbles between the sheets and not really much more, and he would be seriously surprised if that was Harry’s thing.

He really needed to get a grip. Harry was simply being nice, maybe he was even looking at this opportunity to let Eggsy down gently. Now that he thought about it, that was probably it.

Before he could bring himself lower into despair, the door opened on the very object of his thoughts, plus a small dog that started barking happily at their sight.

“No Mr. Pickle! Heels,” the order was obeyed immediately, even if the terrier did not seemed happy about his situation. Harry very obviously didn’t care about the dog’s displeasure, preferring to smile warmly at the two siblings. He lowered himself so he would be level with Daisy and offered her his hand to encourage her closer. “Do you want to pet him?” Harry barely had the time to finish his question that Daisy was already petting Mr. Pickle, the dog showing his approval of the little girl by licking her hands and chin joyously.

Harry let them have some fun, before standing up again and jingling the leash he held in his hand. “Shall we?”

Daisy was back on her feet, having knelt on the ground to better pet Mr. Pickle and she turned pleading eyes towards Harry. “Can I hold the leash, please?”

Harry chuckled a bit at her begging, but shook his head. “It wouldn’t be a good idea right now, he’s a bit too excitable. We'll see on the walk back.”

Eggsy saw his sister open her mouth to protest but he cut her off, “Daisy remember what I told you before we got here?”

She at least had the decency to look guilty before answering in a sheepish voice. “That I had to listen to what Mr. Harry told me, because it was his dog and if I couldn’t do that we would go home.”

“Exactly,” he ruffled her hair with affection to soften the reprimand. “Now do you want to walk, or do you want me to carry you?”

She didn’t need to be asked twice before she raised her arms up so she could circle them around Eggsy’s neck more easily.

Eggsy finally looked over Harry, blushing over the intensity of the other man’s gaze. It seemed fond, but there was something else too, something like yearning that made him shiver.

When he noticed that Eggsy was looking, Harry didn’t seemed embarrassed, but he averted his eyes nonetheless before leading the way to the dog park.


	3. Strawberry ice cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is ice cream

As soon as they had made it to the dog park, Harry had bent down to unleash Mr. Pickle while Eggsy had set Daisy on the ground again. Neither men were surprise when the dog and little girl automatically gravitated to one another, Mr. Pickle jumping happily at Daisy’s feet, her laughter echoing in the nearly empty park.

Harry let them have their fun for a moment, before ordering Mr. Pickle at his feet again, and while he did so, it was with even more reluctance than when they had still been at his house.

“Would you like to play ball with Mr. Pickle, Miss Daisy?” he asked as he got a small squishy ball from the inside pocket of his coat, laughing at the enthusiastic nodding of the little girl and how she started bouncing on her feet, nearly as excited as the small terrier at the prospect of playing. “Alright, first I want to make sure he’ll listen to you. Tell him “heels”, please?”

He had of course meant for the little girl to only say the command, but of course she added the “please” and Eggsy chuckled over the mistake even though Mr. Pickle still obeyed, even if his eyes didn’t leave the ball still in his owner’s hand.

“Good, now I’m going to give you the ball, and after you throw it as far as you can, you must tell him “fetch” and when he’ll come back to you, you tell him “give”. Then you can do it again for as long as you like.”

Daisy lost no time throwing the ball as soon as she got it, shrieking an excited “fetch” at the small dog nearly at the same time. Mr. Pickle set off with a joyous bark and soon came back under Daisy’s clapping her hands with pleasure. When it was clear that the two would have no problem playing together, Harry let himself finally relax and pointed out the conveniently close bench to Eggsy, inviting him to sit down with him.

The young man followed him willingly but with a shy smile and Harry hoped, not for the first time since Eggsy had kissed his cheek the previous afternoon, that he wasn’t reading the situation wrong.

For all Harry knew, this could have been the kind of affectionate gesture Eggsy gave to people he was on friendly terms with and it had nothing to do with Harry specifically. That Eggsy had accepted to come to the dog park today only meant he was being a good brother, looking out for his sister’s happiness. There was no way for him to know that Harry was interested in being more than friends with him and no way for Harry to know if Eggsy could even see him as more than a friendly acquaintance.

He tried finding something to get the conversation started, but for once in his life, he found himself unable of even the smallest of small talk. He wanted to know so much about the young man, that he didn’t know where to start and everything he thought about seemed too intrusive somehow for the short amount of time they had known each other.

He was saved from any true embarrassment when Eggsy turned toward him, a blinding smile still on his lips from seeing his sister enjoying herself so much. “So, I think I remember you telling me something about being a tailor? How does one becomes one anyway?”

From how it was phrased, the question could have make him feel self-conscious, but it wasn’t hard to see that only genuine curiosity had prompted it and before long Harry found himself talking animatedly about his work at the shop and how he had come into it because a friend of a friend had known he had been looking for work after he had left the marines and had stayed after he had realised he had quite the gift for it.

Eggsy looked so interested in everything he was sharing with him that it took a while before Harry noticed he had been talking for at least half an hour, dominating the conversation. It didn’t matter that Eggsy did not seemed bored, it was quite an unforgivable and shameful oversight from him, especially when he prided himself of being a gentleman in every aspect of his life.

He started asking question of his own, careful in the way he worded them so that the young man would feel comfortable answering them or not. He needn’t have worried, because Eggsy seemed equally happy answering him as Harry had been answering his. Soon the discussion left the usual topics of ‘what do you do and how did you get there’ to pretty much every subject under the sun and even though Harry always tried not to have preconceptions about anyone, he was still delightfully surprised to find out about Eggsy’s love of musicals of all things and his not-any-longer-secret desire to be able to scrap enough money go see one live one of these day.

He thought about inviting Eggsy on a date for such an occasion, but it wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Chances were that Eggsy would not pass such an occasion and would in no way indicate if he was interested in Harry in a more than friendly way. That was of course if Harry didn’t hurt the young man’s pride by offering him a way to cheat his goal.

Before he could decide to tempt the fates anyway, he excused himself when he noticed that both Daisy and Mr. Pickle were tiring after a bit more than an hour playing together. He knew they would probably leave the park soon, but there was something he wanted to do before they did so.

Eggsy didn’t ask him where he was going, even if the small frown on his face made it clear he was wondering what he was up to. Luckily, Daisy distracted him from seeing where exactly Harry was going and so, it was too late for him to protest when Harry came back, three ice cream cones in hands.

“I didn’t know which kind you like, so I took vanilla, chocolate and strawberry so you could choose your favourite,” he explained to the little girl, kneeling on one knee in order to be level with her. After glancing at her brother only to have him nod encouragingly, she grabbed the chocolate one, mumbling a shy ‘ _thank you Mr. Harry_ ’ before running back to Mr. Pickle.

He sat down next to Eggsy again, starting to offer him the vanilla cone, but stopped when he saw the young man expression darkening with offense. Harry cursed internally, thinking he had taken one too many liberty by buying the cones, until he noticed the amused gleam into the blue eyes.

“So what only Daisy gets to choose?” He scuffed, but it was also very clear he was merely teasing. “I see you’ve got a favourite Unwin already! Me, I’m only good for the bland boring _vanilla_.”

He chuckled when the young man went so far as to stick his tongue out, crossing his arms, falsely insulted. “Please forgive me, I just didn’t think you’d want the strawberry,” he finally replied, which was only the truth. He had rather thought Daisy would be the one to take that one and that he would be left with whatever one Eggsy didn’t pick. Not that he minded any of the three flavours, but somehow it had never crossed his mind that Eggsy could like the strawberry. Or at the very least to prefer that one to the vanilla.

“You’re kidding right? Strawberry is actually my favourite,” then realising that maybe it could be Harry’s too, he got serious again. “But if you want it, it’s okay, you paid for them, you get to choose, really.”

He resisted the impulse to roll his eyes at the self-sacrificing attitude, something that was greatly helped by how charming he found it when it was from Eggsy instead of literally everyone else ever.

“I really don’t mind one way or the other, Eggsy,” then he hold out the strawberry cone to him, giving a lick to the vanilla one to make sure there would be no more protestation.

Eggsy snorted as he grabbed his cone and his smile took that more innocent-like quality when one was enjoying the small pleasure of life before he started licking the ice cream. Harry quickly look away. Getting a stiffy in the middle of the dog park would be most ungentlemanly.

They stayed there for another half an hour until they decided it was time to go.

After securing the leash on Mr. Pickle collar, Harry handed it to Daisy, knowing the small terrier would be far too tired from playing fetch all afternoon to cause any trouble to the young girl and Daisy was so pleased about being offered the responsibility that even Eggsy wasn’t worried.

Eggsy was looking at the little girl walking a few paces in front of them, a fond smile on his lips, when Harry finally found the courage that had been lacking him all day.

“Eggsy,” he paused an instant when the young man turned to him and how Harry wished the affection shining in his eyes truly was for him and not his sibling, “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me sometime this week. Just you and me.”

There, he couldn’t make his intentions any clearer could he?

“What, like a date?” Eggsy’s happiness was replaced with confusion and Harry wished there was any way he could turn back time so that he could himself from ever asking. Oh, he could pretend it was only friendship he had in mind, but he knew it would only doing the both of them a disservice in the end.

“Exactly like a date,” he nodded, looking away before he could see what disgust and horror could look like on the young man’s face. How could he have even entertained the thought that such an amazing young man like Eggsy would want anything to do with a sad old tailor like him?

However, before he could apologize for his forwardness and any embarrassment he could have caused him, Eggsy whispered an answer that Harry could only have heard wrong.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” He chanced a look at the young man, but he wasn’t looking at him anymore, his eyes set firmly on Daisy’s back, the most alluring blush slowly spreading from his cheeks to his neck.

“I said I’d like that. Very much.”

It took a moment more for the words to truly register, but once they did, Harry started smiling like he hadn’t in a long time.

He stepped closer to Eggsy and, emboldened when his companion leaned into his warmth, took his hand in his. Even the tip of Eggsy’s ears was red by now, but it didn’t stop him from entwining his fingers with Harry.

“Good,” Harry whispered in turn, earning himself one of Eggsy’s shy but blinding smile and he finally understood that the affection he had seen in his eyes mere seconds ago was also for him.


End file.
